Clothes-line.



T. SOTTILE.

CLOTHES LINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-29, 19m.

Patented Apr. 9,1918. 7

UMTED STATE8 ATENT @FFTQE.

THOMAS SOTTILE, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SALVATORE IPARAIDISO, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

CLOTHES-LINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

I Application filed November 29, 1916. Serial No. 184,069.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, THOMAS SOTTILE, a subject of the King of Italy, and a resident of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Clothes-Lines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to a class of devices adapted to be used for permitting articles to be suspended from elevations.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a simple and efficient device or line whereby clothes when washed may be dried and whereby other articles may be aired by being suspended exteriorly of buildings and other places especially at high elevations, and which is of a form designed to permit the articles to be attached to the line as well as being removed therefrom in a manner without the person performing the work being endangered by reaching too far outwardly of a window, or like opening from which the device may be disposed. The invention consists essentially of a belt member composed preferably of two spaced lines connected by spaced transverse bars, and one of the lines of the belt member is movably guided over two grooved wheels. Adapted to allow the grooved wheels to be rotatably mounted to supports extensibly adjustable brackets are provided whereby the wheels may be adjusted toward and from each other.

Other ob ects of the invention are to provide on each of the grooved wheels a toothed wheel which engages the bars of the belt member so that when the belt member is manually moved the toothed wheels and the grooved wheels will be rotated; and to provide on the brackets guides which cooperate with the grooved wheels for movably retaining the belt member on said wheels.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, partly broken away, showing a side elevation of one form of clothes line embodying my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, partly broken away, showing a top plan of the device.

The device, or clothes line has two extensibly adjustable brackets 10 and 11. The bracket 10 is formed with a base plate, as 12, which may be somewhat triangular in shape so that two of its ends may be lolted, or otherwise secured to the wall, or frame, or other support, as 13, adjacent to a window, or other opening of a building, or other structure, while the third end protrudes outwardly from the support. Extending from the protruding end of the base plate 12 is a threaded rod 14 having screwed on its free end part one end of an interiorly threaded buckle, or sleeve, as '15, and in the second end of the sleeve 15 is screwed the threaded end of another rod 16. Projecting laterally from the central part of the sleeve 15 may be a number of spaced pins 17 to serve as handles whereby the sleeves may be manually rotated to guide the rods 14 and 16 extensibly toward and from each other, and on the second end of the rod 16 is held a bearing, as 18. The bracket 11 of the device has a bearing 19 provided on one end of a rod 20 having its second end part threaded on which is screwed one end of an interiorly threaded buckle, or sleeve 21, and in the second end of this sleeve is screwed one end of a threaded second rod 22, these parts being similar in formations to the rods 14, 16, buckle 15 and bearing 18 of the bracket 10 so that by manually rotating accordingly the sleeves, or buckles 15 and 21 the pairs of rods or both of the brackets may be lengthened or shortened, as occasion requires. On the second end of the rod 22 of the bracket 11 is a base plate 23 which may be in the form of'a straddle bar so as to be adapted to be bolted, or otherwise secured to a post, as 2 1, or other support located at a distance from the support to which the bracket 10 is fastened.

In the bearing 18 of the bracket 10 is journaled the upper endvof a shaft 25 disposed vertically downward, and in the hearing 19 of the bracket 11 is journaled the upper end of a similar shaft 26 also disposed vertically downward. The shafts 25 and 26 may be of similar lengths. and on the lower end of the shaft 25 is held a grooved wheel 27, while on the lower end of the shaft 26 is held another grooved wheel 28.

Both of the wheels 27 and 28 are arranged in alinement, and over these wheels is guided a belt member 29 from which clothes when washed as well as other articles may be suspended for being dried and aired. The belt member 29 is preferably composed of an endless upper line, or rope, or cable, as 30, which is movably seated in the grooves of the Wheels 27 and 28. Spaced below the line 30 is another endless line, or rope, or cable 31, and these lines are connected by a number of spaced transverse bars, or rods 32.

The belt member29 is adapted to be manually moved back and forth as desired, and to cause the grooved wheels 27 and 28 to be revolved. On the undersides of the grooved wheels and protruding beyond their peripheries are rows of teeth, as shown at 33 and 34. The teeth of each grooved wheel are arranged to extend between" the bars 32 of the belt member, and the teeth of each wheel are spaced apart to allow each tooth to engage one of the bars of the belt member. In this manner when the belt member is moved the grooved wheels together with their shafts will be rotated.

In order to prevent accidental displace- -ment of the line 30 from the grooved wheels 27 and 28, on each of the adjustable brackets 10 and 11 of the device may be one, or a number of guides 35, 36, 37. All of these guides are preferably alike, and each guide consists of a rod 38 projecting from the bearing of its respective bracket so that its second end will be in spaced proximity to the groove of the grooved wheel of the bracket. On the second end of the rod 38 of each bracket is a small grooved wheel 39 which is in rotatable contact with the grooved wheel of its bracket, and these guides of each bracket are so spaced that the parts of the line 30 of the belt member 29 .which movably pass in the grooves of the wheels 27 and. 28 will also move in they grooves of the guides, as shown, thereby preventing the belt member from becoming accidentally displaced from the grooved wheels.

To operate the device the belt member 29 is manually swung the desired direction back and forth by moving one or more of its Thus I provide a simple and eflicient clothes line whereby various articles may be subjected to the air at high elevations without requiring the person performing the work to risk the danger of leaning too far out of a window, or other opening of the building, or other structure on which the device is employed.

In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of my invention, but I do not wish to be understoodas limiting myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle, or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, therefore I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent .In a clothes line, a belt member composed of two spaced lines connected by spaced which oneof the lines of the belt member is movably guided to dispose its secondline a in suspension, brackets adapted to permit the grooved wheels to be rotatably mounted upon spaced supports, the said brackets being extensibly ad ustable whereby the wheels may be adjusted toward and from each other, and each of said grooved wheels having teeth protruding from its periphery for engaging the bars of thebelt member so that when the belt member is manually moved the grooved wheels will be rotated.

This specification signed and witnessed this 28th day of June, A. D. 1917.

- THOMAS SOTTILE.

V. M. RUMPH. 

